Past Newsletters

Vol. 6 No. 3

3-Cheeses, 3-Countries—An Unlimited Number of Ways to Enjoy!

Our tri-country selection of featured cheeses this month offers you an opportunity to taste three very different styles of cheese. St. Marcellin, from the master cheese makers of southeastern France, has no rind and is creamy, soft, and rustic. Raclette has a brushed rind, is a bit more firm than St. Marcellin, and has a fruity flavor that intensifies when melted (more on melting this cheese later). This is a cheese that one can find being made with pride and prowess in both France and Switzerland (our featured version is Swiss). As you may have guessed, the French maintain that their version is superior to the Swiss Raclette. We find the Swiss version to be just as incredible as the French varieties, which incidentally were developed after the Swiss original (that’s right France, after). To round out our selection (and to prove that you don’t have to go to Europe to get world class cheese) we offer a remarkable domestic treat made right here in the good old U.S. of A. by our friends at the uncompromising Zingerman’s Creamery in Manchester, Michigan. With these three delectable cheeses at your behest, we suppose you should get started on that cheese tray, shouldn’t you? Read on for serving suggestions and background that will aid you in your preparation of these rewardingly flavorful cheeses… and remember, have fun, savor and enjoy!

Historical Fact or a Royally Tall Tale?

As the story goes, in autumn of 1445, while on a hunting trip, a bear of tremendous proportions attacked Prince Louis and his entourage. It must have been a big one indeed, as the group feared for their lives, despite their numbers and numerous firearms. They were out hunting weren’t they? Fortunately, two loggers heard their cries (or, um, manly, royal bellows) and came to the rescue of Prince Louis and his party. After the harrowing incident, and the demise of their attacker, Prince Louis broke bread with the loggers, who, during their meal, introduced him to St. Marcellin cheese.

Perhaps it was the trauma of his experience, or the excitement in retelling such a good tale, but Prince Louis never forgot this remarkable, hard to find cheese, nor did he ever tire of eating it! When the Prince returned to Paris to be crowned King Louis XI, he brought St. Marcellin cheese makers to Paris, and as a result, this cheese has been enjoyed by members of French society for more than 500 years.
St. Marcellin, a small, round cheese produced only in the Southeastern region of Dauphine was originally made using goat’s milk. These days however, most is crafted with cow’s milk. True to its rustic legend, St. Marcellin is most often found wrapped in chestnut or grape leaves, which turn from fresh green to a dark brown as the cheese ripens. In contrast to the brash events surrounding Price Louis’ ‘discovery’ of this cheese, are St. Marcellin’s rather delicate flavors. The version we’ve chosen for you has been dipped in wine or eau-de-vie (a colorless Brandy distilled from fruit juice), has a beige crust with blue mold, a soft, beige, creamy interior, and an intensely nutty and fruity flavor. When ripe, it is quite runny (not to mention irresistible) with a slightly yeasty taste. It’s been declared “a cheese to worship” by some who’ve described it. We’re pretty confident that King Louis XI would have agreed!

Raclette: A Traditional Meal or a Cheese?

It’s both actually… Even though the French may have lent their language in naming this cheese, it is widely believed Raclette originated in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Folklore has it that at the end of the 19th century, in the chill of Fall, as the wine harvest was drawing to a close, grape gatherers sat down to enjoy a loaf of brown bread, some cheese, and a bottle of wine. One of the men stabbed a piece of cheese with a large buck knife, and approached the crackling fire to warm himself while he ate. His skewered cheese began to melt and run with a crisp, golden texture, which he then scraped off of his knife and onto his bread. He found the taste had become especially intense and flavorful as a result of his impromptu, accidental ‘preparation’. In fact, it was so extraordinary he invited his friends to have a taste, who promptly agreed that the flavor was divine. They each heated and scraped their cheese, flaking it upon boiled potatoes, pickled onions, and gherkins, all made absolutely scrumptious with the melted cheese. Thereafter, this sort of meal became traditional for Alpine farmers and shepherds.

Specific cheeses were developed for this style of melting, scraping and serving, the most popular of which carries the name Raclette. So what does Raclette mean exactly? Well, not surprisingly, it is derived from the French word “racler” which means “to scrape off.” Not just a name for the cheese, it’s also the term used to describe the traditional Swiss dish, prepared essentially as described above. These days, however, larger sections of cheese are typically used. Sometimes preparations are more rustic and closer in nature to the original, campfire version described above; a large wheel of cheese is cut in half so that the cut edge may be melted in front of a fire. Nowadays machines are available which hold the cheese in place, while an electrical element melts the surface. Either way you melt it, the end result of Raclette preparation is the same: the cheese is scraped onto other foods, such as potatoes boiled in their skins and served with pickles. Of course, there are many variations of this dish, but the principle remains the same.

Not only is the wonderful flavor of Raclette perfect for this melted cheese style of dining, the texture and consistency is perfect for this method; it melts uniformly, without forming a greasy layer, and holds together without becoming completely liquid.
The traditional meal is served by boiling potatoes and arranging thick slices topped with Raclette on a serving plate that can be used in a broiler. When the cheese is melted, serve with pickles, cornichons (pickled gherkin cucumbers), cocktail onions, artichoke hearts, slices of tomatoes and avocados, olive spreads and the like. We have discovered many other ways to enjoy this cheese. Here’s a few you may want to try.

• Try cooked fish fillets, sliced ham, chicken, or turkey topped with thin slices of Raclette and broiled until melted.
• Substitute French or Sourdough bread for the potatoes.
• Place thinly sliced Raclette on top of steamed or sautéed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, or any vegetable favorite, and place briefly under the broiler.
• Top thick slices of unpeeled apples and pears with Raclette and broil.
• Add small cubes of Raclette to scrambled eggs or omelets, or thin slices on top of fried or poached eggs.

Zingerman’s Creamery—Bringing Cheesemaking Back 100 Years (That’s a Good Thing!)

The United States is known for producing goods on a mass scale. It provides what is often the largest market for just about anything that can be bought or sold. And it is this large scale that one must assign blame when considering the quality of most cheeses made domestically. Since the industrial revolution, most craft-created cheeses have essentially disappeared from the nation’s landscape. But there are some cheese artisans out there, and leave it to us to track them and their wares down for you.

Founded by John Loomis and Dave Carson in the fall of 2001, Zingerman’s Creamery is the newest member of Zingerman’s Community of Gourmet Businesses. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the culinary gurus at Zingerman’s, let us just tell you, we’ve been relying on their expertise for years now. A regular supplier of the cheeses we feature in the club, the folks at this fine family of companies employ trained experts who professionally seek out the finest cheeses (and other gourmet items) the world over. They’ve been integral in bringing back the nearly lost traditions of fine cheese making in the states, reacquainting countless patrons with the artisanal qualities of traditionally made gustatory treasures. Zingerman’s Creamery, located in Manchester, Michigan, is dedicated to bringing fabulous tasting, hand-crafted fresh cheeses, gelato and more to dairy lovers everywhere.

Founding partner John Loomis also serves as the company’s sole cheese maker. He began making cheese about twenty years ago after spending a year working with various cheesemakers in the mountains of Wales, the west of England, and County Cork, Ireland. Upon his return to the states, he set up a small family-run cheesemaking dairy with his brothers and sister in Ann Arbor. Their first cheese was called Great Lakes Cheshire, and was met with pronounced acclaim. After about five years, the family closed the operation, and John went to work selling and buying cheese for Zingerman’s Delicatessen. John, along with Zingerman’s owners Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw, always had an eye towards starting their own dairy to produce cheeses for Zingerman’s (to supplement the cheeses they scouted from around the world).

About three years ago they made the leap, setting up on a small farm roughly thirty miles west of Ann Arbor, where John began making fresh cream cheese using recipes and techniques similar to those used fifty years ago. John’s cream cheeses proved so popular that they began branching out into other cheeses, emphasizing the fact that their natural ingredients and traditional techniques were in sharp contrast to other commercially available cheeses. There’s no doubt about it, nearly all advancements in the dairy field in recent times have been directed towards extending shelf-life and improving profits, usually at the expense of flavor. But thanks to John’s expertise and Zingerman’s drive to produce only the highest quality, flavorful, craft cheeses, things are quite different at their creamery.

Zingerman’s Creamery uses milk from one of southeast Michigan’s last remaining family-owned and operated dairies. The cow’s milk comes from a small mixed herd of Holstien, Brown Swiss and Jersey cows, and the Goat milk comes from several different farms in Michigan and utilizes a mix of Nubian and Alpine goats. The milk is pasteurized at the lowest temperature allowed by law, and though far more time consuming, John feels that this is the best way to preserve the integrity and flavor of the milk. The milk is then set using the more traditional overnight, or long time sets (the time varies anywhere from 10 to 14 hours depending on season). This long setting time allows more complex and diverse flavors to develop in the cheese, and it’s one of the many distinguishing practices used at the creamery which yields great tasting cheese. We owe John and the rest of the folks at Zingerman’s a debt of gratitude for their efforts—and after tasting the cheese we’ve sent you, we think you might feel the same. Enjoy!

Tasting Notes

St. Marcellin: This cheese from the Dauphine Region of southeastern France can be found in many stages of affinage, or maturity, ranging from the fresh to the very ripe. Like many cheeses, as St. Marcellin matures, the flavor becomes more pronounced, yet still remains overall mild, slightly acidic and salty, with some nutty flourishes. As this cheese comes from the Rhone-Alpes region of France, one might expect it to partner nicely with any Rhone red wine, and one would be right. Temperature can have a big impact on the flavor and overall character of cheese—we suggest you enjoy this cheese at a temperature where the interior clings to the knife.

Raclette: The Raclette we have sent you is an artisanal cheese that is firm and pressed with a natural rind. The pate is typically smooth but may have small holes. You’ll find that this cheese has a slightly spicy, but not overpowering flavor that intensifies when melted. Its fat content is 45%, enough to aid in melting, but not so high as to turn greasy under the influence of heat. When boiled over potatoes and gherkins, a German Schwarzbier (meaning “black beer”) will serve as a fine, flavorful accompaniment.

Zingerman’s Aged Goat Round (Chelsea): All of Zingerman’s Creamery cheeses are named for cities in southeast Michigan. The cheese we selected for you is called ‘the Chelsea’; it falls under the category of a mold-ripened, aged goat log. The mold on the rind is Penicillium Candidum, which is the same mold used to make Brie. Here’s a description from John Loomis himself, “the Chelsea has a dense, fudge-like consistency with a smooth, subtle goat milk flavor and a hint of mushrooms (this comes from the rind). It can be sliced thin and eaten as a table cheese with crackers and a crisp white wine. Or, for the more ambitious, this cheese can be sliced in one half inch slices, lightly breaded and fried, and placed atop a green salad with toasted walnuts. For the adventurous, the bread crumbs can be replaced with ground pecans. The cheese is very versatile and slices can also be brushed with olive oil and briefly placed under a broiler to soften. It goes well with dried fruits (especially figs), piquillo peppers and toasted walnuts.” Hey, the man makes this stuff, surely he knows how best to enjoy it!